McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has challenged Toto Wolff’s claim that Mercedes may not have the budget to continue developing its Formula 1 car this season.
The comments come at a crucial point in the 2026 F1 championship, with Mercedes having seen its early advantage disappear as McLaren has made significant progress.
Lando Norris has won the last two Grands Prix, including the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort last weekend, while Mercedes has been unable to maintain the level of performance it showed earlier in the season.
With the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next on the calendar, Stella believes Mercedes is unlikely to stop developing its car despite Wolff’s comments about the limitations imposed by Formula 1’s cost cap.
Andrea Stella challenges Toto Wolff
Wolff recently suggested that Mercedes does not have the financial room to continue adding major developments beyond its planned upgrade package.
The Mercedes team principal’s comments came as the team looks to respond to McLaren’s recent resurgence.
Stella, however, does not believe Mercedes has reached the end of its development programme.
“I don’t believe it,” Stella told reporters, according to RACER.
The McLaren boss pointed to an allowance connected with the 2027 power unit regulations that teams can use in their 2026 cost-cap reporting.
Stella believes Mercedes could therefore have additional scope to bring developments to the car.
“And I’m sure that Mercedes, having seen that rivals are kind of elevating the game, I’m sure they will now cash in on their development that surely is happening in the background,” he said.
His comments were reported by RACER on August 28.
McLaren expect Mercedes upgrades
Stella went further by suggesting that Mercedes may already have a faster version of its car being developed away from the track.
The McLaren team principal believes the German manufacturer will now be under increasing pressure to convert that potential into upgrades that can be introduced during the second half of the season.
That could be particularly important because McLaren’s recent improvements have changed the competitive picture.
Norris has taken consecutive victories, while Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have both remained major factors at the front of the championship.
The battle between the two teams could therefore become one of the defining stories of the second half of the 2026 season.
Monza will provide a major test for McLaren
While Stella is confident about McLaren’s progress, he is not taking anything for granted.
The team’s recent gains have come at circuits where high downforce is particularly important, but the Italian Grand Prix will present a very different challenge.
Monza is known for its long straights, heavy braking zones and relatively low-downforce configuration.
That means McLaren’s latest improvements will face a significant test.
Stella admitted that drag is not currently one of the team’s strengths, while the heavy braking demands at Monza could also expose areas where McLaren still has work to do.
The team principal therefore believes the Italian Grand Prix will provide a much clearer indication of how competitive McLaren can be over the remainder of the campaign.
Norris title hopes receive another boost
The timing of McLaren’s improvement is particularly significant for Norris.
His back-to-back victories have strengthened his position in the championship battle and demonstrated that McLaren is capable of taking advantage when Mercedes and other rivals fall away.
A further step forward at Monza could give Norris another opportunity to close the gap at the front of the championship.
Mercedes, meanwhile, will be desperate to respond.
If Wolff’s team does have further upgrades available, as Stella expects, the next few races could see another major swing in the competitive order.
The cost-cap debate therefore adds another layer to an already intense development battle.
McLaren believes Mercedes still has performance waiting to be unlocked, while Mercedes will be looking to prove that its current development strategy is enough to keep its championship challenge alive.
With Monza next, the answer could come sooner rather than later.